The present invention relates to a detachable gutter system designed to control and drain water collected on an opened umbrella when it is raining. A conventional umbrella design 100, generally illustrated in FIG. 1, comprises a central pole 102, an adjustor 104 mounted for movement on the central pole 102, a plurality of spokes 106 extending from the central pole 102 and movable between an open position and a closed position in connection with movement of the adjustor 104, and a flexible fabric cover 108 attached to the spokes 106. The spokes 106 generally define a frame on which the fabric cover 108 lays. When such a frame is opened, the fabric cover 108 generally resembles a dome, as shown in FIG. 1. When the frame is closed, the fabric cover 108 is relaxed and the umbrella 100 resembles a spear (not shown), as is generally known by one of ordinary skill in the art. Accordingly, the open and closed position of the spokes 106 generally corresponds with the open and closed conditions of the umbrella 100.
Existing umbrella designs have dealt with collecting rain water from an umbrella. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,175, entitled “Removable rain water collecting device for umbrellas;” U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,560, entitled “Umbrella holder with raindrops collecting means;” and U.S. Pat. No. 5,385,162, entitled “Umbrella having automatically closed water collector,” each shows an apparatus designed to collect water from an umbrella after the umbrella is closed. Each invention is designed to avoid messy cleanup and dripping after the umbrella is closed.
Other umbrella designs have utilized troughs for collecting rain water around the perimeter of an opened umbrella, such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,042,056, entitled “Eave Trough Construction;” U.S. Pat. No. 1,706,341, entitled “Umbrella Attachment;” and U.S. Pat. No. 664,157, entitled “Umbrella Cover.” However, in such designs, the collected rain water is removed from the troughs by tilting the umbrella, which can still get the user or nearby individuals wet from splashing water, all while exposing the user to the rain when the umbrella is tilted. Accordingly, what is needed is an umbrella that can collect rain water while the umbrella is being used and direct it away from the umbrella's user and nearby individuals without getting anyone wet.